...,--§**£                                          £**§--,...
.,-†§*&£@@                                          @@£&*§†-,.
.....-††§&                                          &§††-.....
.....-§§&@                                          @&§§-.....
.,-†§*&£@#                                          #@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@@             #...--------...#             @@£&*§†-,.
..,--§***&      ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.####     &***§--,..
.,-†§*&&&@             #...--------...#             @&&&*§†-,.
....,-†**&                                          &**†-,....
.,-†§*&£@# ON EARTH  (THE  PLANET WHERE  I  LIVE) A #@£&*§†-,.
....,††**£ LOT OF  US HAVE  ANTENNAS ON OUR  HOUSES £**††,....
....,,-§§& OR  BALCONIES,   WE   HAVE  BUILT  LARGE &§§-,,....
.,-†§*&£@@ ANTENNAS  FOR LARGER  BANDWITH, WE  HAVE @@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@#     BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR      #@£&*§†-,.
.....,-§&&    SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM   &&§-,.....
.,-§*&£@## INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE  AS  FUCK ##@£&*§-,.
.......-§&              ANTENNA ARRAYS              &§-.......
.,-†*&£@## WE'VE  VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ##@£&*†-,.
.,-†§*&&&&          DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH.         &&&&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@#                                          #@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§§**£@ WE'VE LEARNED  ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE @£**§§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@#      SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS     #@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@@ PLACEMENT  IN   THE   GALAXY,   AND  OUR @@£&*§†-,.
.....-§**& GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL  CLUSTER, &**§-.....
.,-†§*&£@# AND  -OUR- LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE  IN  THE #@£&*§†-,.
....--§*££          GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS          ££*§--....
.,-†§&£@##                                          ##@£&§†-,.
....,†§&&& AND  WE'RE  MOVING  AROUND  THE  SUN  AT &&&§†,....
.,-†§*&£££ VELOCITY  AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE £££&*§†-,.
......-§&& CENTER  OF  THE  GALAXY AT VELOCITY  AND &&§-......
...,--††§& THE  GALAXY  IS MOVING  TOWARD ANDROMEDA &§††--,...
.,-†§*&&££   AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE    ££&&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£## AROUND THE GALAXY. AND  WE  AS A SPECIES ##£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£££ HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT £££&*§†-,.
.....-†§&£                                          £&§†-.....
.,-†§*&@## AND DESPITE ALL THIS,  DESPITE  ALL  OUR ##@&*§†-,.
.,-†§&£@##    (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR   ##@£&§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@# RADIO PROGRAMMES  OUT  IN FUCKING  SPACE #@£&*§†-,.
...--†**£@ AT  THE SPEED  OF  LIGHT (LIGHT  IS  OUR @£**†--...
.,-†§*&£@# MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!),  #@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@#      DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE      #@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@#     COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS     #@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@@   FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS    @@£&*§†-,.
....-§***& BEAMING  OF  ALL  OUR  SECRETS  IN EVERY &***§-....
.,-†§*&£@#          DIRECTION KNOWN TO US,          #@£&*§†-,.
...,†§§&££                                          ££&§§†,...
.,-†§*&£@# NO    .    ONE   .    HAS   .   ANSWERED #@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£##                                          ##£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£##             #...--------...#             ##£&*§†-,.
..,,--†§§&     ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.####      &§§†--,,..
.....-†**&             #...--------...#             &**†-.....
.,-†§*&£@@                                          @@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@#             SO WHY IS THAT?              #@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*£@##                                          ##@£*§†-,.
.,---§**&@ MOST OPPONENTS  TO  INTELLIGENT  LIFE IN @&**§---,.
....,,,†*& THE  UNIVERSE SAY IT'S  BECAUSE YOU NEED &*†,,,....
.,-†§*&£@# A CLASS  ONE-OR-THE-OTHER  STAR  AND THE #@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@@ PLANET  NEEDS  TO  BE  AT  A  SEE-AND-SO @@£&*§†-,.
.......-§& DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR  (LIKE THERE &§-.......
.,-†§*&£@#           HAS TO BE A PLANET!)           #@£&*§†-,.
.......-§&                                          &§-.......
....,,†**& BUT   REALLY   ISN'T  THAT  KEEPING  THE &**†,,....
.,-†§*&£@#      DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX?      #@£&*§†-,.
.....,†**&                                          &**†,.....
..,,,-§*&@ I THINK EVERYONE  AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO @&*§-,,,..
.,-†§*&@## IDEA  WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND  IT PROBABLY ##@&*§†-,.
....,†**&£                  SHOWS)                  £&**†,....
.,-†§*&@##                                          ##@&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&@##             #...--------...#             ##@&*§†-,.
....---†*£     ####.-- FERMI'S PARADOX --.####      £*†---....
.,-†*&£@##             #...--------...#             ##@£&*†-,.
.,-†§*&£@#                                          #@£&*§†-,.
.,-†§*&£@@ I'M GONNA  GO  SMOKE MY THIRD  CIGARETTE @@£&*§†-,.
......-§§& THIS YEAR  AND TRY TO SNATCH  SOME BEERS &§§-......
.,-†§*&£@@         FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING        @@£&*§†-,.
,-†§*&£@##                                          ##@£&*§†-,
.,-†§*&£@#                                          #@£&*§†-,.
....,-†§&£                                          £&§†-,....
,-†§*&£@##                                          ##@£&*§†-,
.,-†§*&£@#                                          #@£&*§†-,.